It has begun...

the great kitchen remodel is under way!

These are the things we dislike about this kitchen and why we're completely redoing it...
*The fake wood finish on the fake wood cabinets
*The layout (we're moving the fridge and dishwasher)
*This could probably go along with layout too...but I hate having the cook top and oven across the room from each other. We've got a range waiting in the garage already! :)
*Electric cook top...we're converting to a gas range but the oven will still be electric
*Press on linoleum tiles that are coming up off the floor
*The kitchen is dark, dark, dark. I know a lot of people love black granite but we don't. It's hard to keep looking clean and it makes the whole kitchen too dark
*The florescent lighting and the "shade" the previous owners put up when they "remodeled" the space
* The fake aluminum back splash
*Lack of pantry space
(Gabe-did I miss anything?)

Here are some before pictures so that you know what we're starting with.
Gabe had several co-workers, and a couple of friends, come over Saturday morning to help with the demolition. They worked hard and had everything out of the kitchen before I came back with the pizza for lunch. In fact, they were taking a "break" and playing video games when I arrived. Here's evidence of the hard work they put in before noon! And here's what the kitchen looked like when I came back with lunch:Crazy huh?
Saturday afternoon and night, I pulled up the rest of the tiles while Gabe dealt with a plumbing issues. It only took him 3 trips down to Home Depot to fix things up! Sunday morning I started unpacking our new cabinets while Gabe laid down wood on the floor to bring the cabinets up to the same height the new floor will be. Then my dad came over to help Gabe put in the upper cabinets. So here's the state of our kitchen currently.
Not sure how much more we'll get done this week, but with the three day weekend and the flooring due to arrive from Seattle this week, I hope the next update shows some huge progress!

Public Service Announcement

I don't really use this blog as a platform to communicate much about my personal ideas or beliefs. It's mostly a way to keep family and friends, both near and far, updated on what we're up to. But I chose a book for our girls night book club that I absolutely feel everyone should read. So, please pick up Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. It's about the oppression of women and girls in developing countries around the world. They share many stories about the lives and experiences of young girls and women. From the brothels of India and the young girls who are trafficked for sex throughout Asia. To the women of Africa who are dying by the thousands during childbirth. Or some women who struggle through days of labor only to loose their baby and in the process of this labor with no medical interventions, they get a fistula. These women are ostracized from their community and basically left to die. The authors share these horrific stories of how women are treated in the developing world. But their intention isn't just to share these stories. I love that they also share stories of how people (most often women) are working to change what is happening. There is no reason why, in 2010, girls in many countries of the world are not be allowed to attend school, but their brothers are. It's ridiculous! It blows my mind and makes me so sad. This book inspires you to want to take action because these issues are things we should all be working to change. And the authors offer hope by sharing what people are doing and the great things they are accomplishing. These are things that can be changed if only we all make the choice to do something...anything!

I decided I couldn't just read this book and do nothing. One area the authors stress greatly is how education is really the key to ending the oppression of women around the world. So, I decided I wanted to do something to support this effort. After doing quite a bit of research, I'll be donating to CAMFED, to support educating young women in Africa. If you're interested in learning more about the book and taking action (before you start reading), check out this website!

So, I have a copy I'm willing to loan out if anyone would like to read this powerful book. Or go get it from the library! I hope it reminds you of how fortunate we are, and how with that...we all have a responsibility to do something about how women around the world are being treated.

Our little Angelfish

Levi and I are finished with our first week of "swimming" lessons. Although, for Levi it should really be called floating and splashing lessons! He's really good at both of those things but not very interested in kicking! He is pretty brave about putting his face in the water. The only thing is his mouth is always open so he can drink the pool water. Yuck! He's suppose to blow bubbles. He won't do it himself but sure thinks it's funny when Mommy does it.

I signed us up for two more weeks so maybe at the end of those I can brag about his "swimming". No matter what, it's been fun!

Getting into Trouble

How much trouble can one baby boy get into before 11am?

This much:
First taking almost every Kleenex out of the box.
Then trying to read...oh, I mean eat...Mommy's magazine. Things on the couch are now accessible to this mischievous little guy.
Last, but definitely most exciting...climbing the stairs. The pictures aren't very good because I made sure I was close enough to break a fall if necessary. Especially when he got up to the third step. At that point, I had to put a stop to Levi's fun!
All of this, combined with a 45 minute nap this morning and refusing to eat lunch, is making for a long day already! Good thing the sun is coming out. We're getting out and going for a walk before swimming lessons this evening. Packing up the kitchen will have to wait.

Morning at the Zoo

We've been wanting to take a trip to the zoo for quite some time. But since summer has yet to arrive, it's been way too wet to go. We decided to brave it yesterday morning even though the forecast didn't look great. Turns out, other than it being cold, the rain pretty much stayed away. We did get a little coastal drizzle from time to time, but it was nothing! The weather also kept the big crowds away, which is always nice at the zoo! I hate fighting the crowds to see the animals. Especially with Levi in the stroller, he needs to be right up front to see anything.

Not surprising, Levi's favorite was the elephants (just like Daddy). Here are the elephants playing and Levi trying to talk to them!
We were able to see almost everything before Levi started to get fussy. He needed a nap and some lunch, so we came home. But now that we have a membership, we'll hang out there more this summer and fall. The zoo is maybe 10 minutes from our house so it will be a great place to hang out if the summer weather ever arrives!
This picture of the zebras proves what a wet spring we've had. I can't believe how green everything is. I don't think I've ever seen it like that!

Here's one more shot of daddy and son spending Father's day at the zoo.

First Father's Day

What a great first Father's Day. Got woken up by Heidi and Levi and was presented with a card they had made together. Levi had done the decoration on the card by placing a big hand print on it, with a little help from mom, of course. We had breakfast and headed for the zoo. I haven't been to the zoo in quite a few years, so it was good to see a bunch of new stuff. I think Heidi will be blogging about that trip more tomorrow. Since we went before Levi's morning nap, he skipped it as we roamed around the zoo, there was plenty to keep him occupied. After the zoo, Levi got a short nap and then it was time to play. His new playroom (the dining room) is now off limits as it's crammed with new cabinets waiting to be installed in the kitchen remodel starting next weekend. Playing in the living room is a little more exciting since there's more to explore and get into trouble with, especially since he's pulling up on everything now. We had a good time though. The evening wound down with me getting to choose the pizza from Papa John's tonight (a big deal around this house), and then Levi watching some Baby Signing Time. All in all, a fun day, despite the rather poor weather.

No pictures of my Father's Day present, mainly because I've had it for a few weeks already, and it was raining for most of the day today. It was a nice new electric lawnmower. Our old gas mower didn't make it though the winter, so it was time for a new one. Since our yard is so small, we figured an electric one would do the trick, plus they're quiet, and I think Heidi might even use it!

-Gabe

Closing the book...

on this school year brings me an immeasurable amount of joy. This has definitely been the toughest year of my six year teaching career. My friends/co-workers who have come back to teaching after maternity leave, warned me about how difficult it is. They were right. I wouldn't wish returning from maternity leave to finish out 5 1/2 months with 150 8th graders on anyone. Even my worst enemy (if I had one).
To make things more challenging, there was the fact that I taught 2 different content classes, because of the layoffs last year my class sizes were the biggest they've ever been (a room of 32 fourteen year-olds is at times unmanageable), and more big budget cuts looming over our heads all spring (we have three teachers not returning to our building next year and four retired, those positions will not be filled. Plus, two office/support staff were laid off.) As of writing this, I'm pretty sure I still have a job next year but we're taking a pay freeze again, plus cutting at least 10 days off the school year which is almost half a months pay. Times are tough.

I've let myself get too bogged down with the negative stuff. That's silly since I'm in the mood to celebrate! So, in honor of the start to my summer "vacation" here are all the things I'm looking forward to in the next 2 & 1/2 months! (Starting with taking my mom to see the Lion King tomorrow of course...) In no particular order:

*Lots of snuggle time with my baby
*Swimming lessons-sign up is tomorrow morning!
*Walks and swinging at the park
*SUNSHINE
*Going to the zoo
*Starting a new painting (I bought some canvas almost a month ago)
*Reading-finishing this, then reading this and this
*A new kitchen-remodel starts next weekend!
*Story time at the library
*Planning and throwing a 1st birthday party
*Our vacation to the Olympic National Park and San Juan Islands
*The annual camping trip-this year we're going to Trillium Lake
*Starting, and maybe finishing, Levi's baby book (crossing my fingers on this one)

What a BEAUTIFUL day!

It's finally starting to feel like summer and it sure does lift the spirit.
We took full advantage of our first warm, and dry day of the summer, by heading over to this part of town. We wanted to check out this event, but ended up heading over there a little too early. The parade didn't start until 3 and the actual race didn't start until 5. We walked around, played at the park and had a late lunch here. Most of Portland was recovering from their early morning at the Rose Parade (which we'll have to attend at some point in a few years...after all, it is a Portland family tradition), so this event wasn't as busy as I was afraid it might be. As I get older, I enjoy crowds less and less. Well, at lunch Levi was starting to get pretty fussy and we made the decision to bag it and head home to get the little guy his afternoon nap. Problem being...once we got home, he wouldn't take one. So we could have stayed and "enjoyed" the rest of the afternoon with a crabby baby. Although after our numerous failed attempts at an afternoon nap, we did wash the cars...so that was productive.
It's hard to be disappointed on a day like today. I think we'll definitely go back again next year. Only we'll dress up our bikes and ride in the family ride.
Gabe and I are ending our evening with BBQ steak, wine and a dip in the hot tub. I really wish summer was truly here already.

Here's a picture of Levi enjoying the swing at the park...for the grandparents!

Long Weekend at Black Butte Ranch

Levi stayed up late on Friday night celebrating at Enzo and Finn's first birthday party, so we didn't get a very early start on our trip to Black Butte. That was fine because it was a pretty low key weekend. Lots of walks. Here's Levi and Gabe with what we're pretty sure is Mt. Washington in the back ground. It was really cloudy the whole weekend and it's pretty tough to identify the Cascade Mountains without seeing their distinctive tops.Here's the view of two of the Three Sisters (Faith and Hope). I believe the one with very little snow is Black Crater.We also did a lot of napping, eating and enjoying drinks by the fire. Well, at least Gabe and I enjoyed that last one when Levi was in bed for the night. We also spent some time at the pool. Levi hasn't been in a swimming pool since he was just a few weeks old and he pretty much slept through that experience. So, I wasn't really sure what he would think of the pool now. He enjoys splashing in the tub but a swimming pool is a lot bigger.
Here he is ready to swim!I know...so serious! This kid takes everything seriously.
Levi loved the pool.
It was a great weekend. A perfect time spent just relaxing and getting away from the huge list of things we're always trying to get accomplished at home. Fun family time for sure. And a great way to start the "summer".